NYTimes Realizes That The FBI Keeps Celebrating Breaking Up Its Own Terrorist Plots

from the not-quite-as-impressive dept

Over the last few years, we've noticed that nearly every victory the FBI celebrates against terrorism is actually about stopping its own terrorist plots that it feeds to hapless individuals, often nudging them and pushing them down the road to "become" terrorists, despite commonly displaying little to no aptitude for actual terrorism.

The United States has been narrowly saved from lethal terrorist plots in recent years - or so it has seemed. A would-be suicide bomber was intercepted on his way to the Capitol; a scheme to bomb synagogues and shoot Stinger missiles at military aircraft was developed by men in Newburgh, N.Y.; and a fanciful idea to fly explosive-laden model planes into the Pentagon and the Capitol was hatched in Massachusetts.

But all these dramas were facilitated by the F.B.I., whose undercover agents and informers posed as terrorists offering a dummy missile, fake C-4 explosives, a disarmed suicide vest and rudimentary training. Suspects naïvely played their parts until they were arrested.

As the article makes clear, claims of entrapment rarely work in these cases, but it certainly raises questions about whether the FBI is actually protecting us from real plots or spending time creating publicity stunts that leave some people in jail. No doubt, some of these setups bust people who could potentially be interested in taking part in attacks if they had any real opportunity to do so. But, in most cases, it doesn't seem like they would ever have the opportunity (unless the FBI was helping). In one case, the judge -- even as she was sentencing the guy to decades in prison -- admitted that the guy wouldn't be a "terrorist" if it weren't for the FBI:

"Only the government could have made a 'terrorist' out of Mr. Cromitie, whose buffoonery is positively Shakespearean in its scope...."

This is the same guy who laughed at earlier attempts by an FBI informant to get him to get involved in a plot.

There's no doubt that there are real plots being attempted. But wouldn't the FBI be better off focusing on those, rather than play acting all the time?

Re: Re: ...in the land of make believe

As Clay Shirky was quoted as saying in an article last week, "institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution." Seeing as there are no real terrorist threats, they must promulgate them in order to preserve the illusion that there are terrorists everywhere plotting to kill us, thus the push for ever-enhanced "security" measures. 'Terrorism' is a ploy, an easy go-to excuse to justify invasion of privacy and ripping our Constitution to shreds.

That's Big Brother for you, keeping us all safe from the terrorist plots they themselves created.

Politics as usual

Since there are nowhere near enough terrorist plots to fuel ongoing legislation like the Patriot Act, the FBI has been tasked with filling in the gaps and proving the need for such laws.

Without all this terrorism, it would be extremely difficult for some of the wackadoodles in Congress to keep their jobs. If they couldn't decry "My opponent is weak on terrorism", they might actually have to have a political platform. Since it looks like TERRORISM is losing steam, I have to wonder how long before Protecting the Children rises to the top again.

It's just a dream, but maybe Congress might want to actually focus on problems it can solve.

Busy FBI Arrest Two More in Terror Stings

"Although not connected, officials say the FBI and Justice Department had to coordinate the timing of the two cases so that arrests would not cause suspects to get cold feet with their intention to conduct their operations."

what kind of messed up logic is that? If the FBI hesitated, a suspect MAY NOT HAVE COMMITTED THE CRIME for which they' were arrested.

the guy may well have been a bit of an idiot but when the judge actually recognised the fact that he wouldn't have been a terrorist if it weren't for the FBI, surely it would have been better for her to recommend he spent time in a hospital facility rather than prison proper? what good did it do to jail him when he was coerced into doing what he did by the very government agency that arrested him? simply being stupid shouldn't be a crime worthy of jail time

/s Re: /s

Think of all the poor children who won't get a chance to enjoy this world because the FBI will recruit them into the next terrorist plot. Think of all the poor children whose parents are unable to support them because they were coerced into being a terrorist by the FBI and are now in jail.

Now, forget them, they are idiots so it's not like that could've been you, which means you shouldn't care at all.

Re: Busy FBI Arrest Two More in Terror Stings

"Although not connected, officials say the FBI and Justice Department had to coordinate the timing of the two cases so that arrests would not cause suspects to get cold feet with their intention to conduct their operations."

I thought the entire point of the FBI was to PREVENT these 'operations', not ACCOMODATE them.

Re: ...in the land of make believe

All in their scheme to screw us all over.Washington is a Cancer and it will be excised eventually.Things had better change for the better.Probably they won't as I have no hope at all for our Government.
Making-up Terrorists by sucking people into it and their lame attempts to control the Internet screaming about Terrorism will backfire on them.
People are slowly waking up more and more as the younger generations all have known a Computer their whole life.
There is a reason why my first punk band "The Transplants" had a tune called F.B.I. (Fat Bellied Ignoramuses).

Playing devil's advocate: probably this may help undermine trust in contacts for terrorist plots in the US as would-be terrorist could have doubts wether they are in fact being contacted by a terrorist organization or the FBI (mind the redundancy).

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: ...in the land of make believe

Freakish zealots

It looks to me like the anti-terrorist elements of the FBI, Homeland Security, and the military industry are equal to terrorists on the "freakish zealot" scale.

The difference between the two being that the government agencies have real resources as well as political and legal power. Terrorists can only do very limited harm, but the government's potential for harm is astronomical. The government agencies have also caused, in real terms, far more damage than terrorism has.

Re:

That would require actual, legitimate work by the U.S. Government. This is far too much to ask, and I'd even venture as to say it is like the writers of Spongebob and the like -- they create simplistic plots that have some underlining complexities, but for the most part, just do it so they can stay relevant.

Nothing more or less, really. It's like asking a squirrel to stop beating a jealous lover over the head with a nut -- it's only going to get stupider from there.

Re:

You have to wonder....

if somewhere deep in the files at the FBI is a mostly redacted report where they moved in on one these potential terrorists and started their standard grooming protocols, while another agent was contacted by a citizen who told him his new internet freind was making some seriously messed up statements and such to him... because it would be hugely funny to have everyone pull out there FBI secret decoder rings at the end and try to bust each other.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: ...in the land of make believe

So where was the oh-so-efficient FBI for Oklahoma, the WTC in 93, or anywhere in 2001?

Seriously, this is penny-ante stuff. European intelligence services break stuff like this up all the time without a sweat, and believe me, we've had a *lot* of terrorism in Europe in the last 60 years (some of it even funded by the US!). So once again, you play catch-up and then try and act like you're doing something *so* amazing - and yet, there is so little credible threat (like from Iraq) that the FBI have to resort to making them up! And then you complain that we call them on it?

Seriously, go to Londonderry with a Union Jack on, or the Basque Country with a Spanish flag, and you'll be glad of the efforts of *real* intelligence outfits.

appeal to fear

Clueless comments!

This is how the Mob's back was broken from the 60s-90s. This is the right way - it creates serious doubt & disruption in any terrorist network. Guys complaining here clearly live an ignorant & clueless existence.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: ...in the land of make believe

Oklahoma and the WTC in 93 were both examples of FBI sting operations gone wrong. That's the other big reason why these should be rained in. It isn't just because they use this stuff to further a political agenda, it's because real people can get hurt.

I FEEL SO SAFE NOW!

Re: Clueless comments!

All of you defending the actions of the government should go ahead and petition to free Charles Manson. After all, he didn't kill anyone. He just provided the scenario and, through psychotropic drugs and brainwashing, convinced others to do it. Manson himself is as innocent as the FBI. Don't be a hypocrite. If you think what the FBI is doing is okay, then stand up for Charlie.

If I talk someone into robbing a bank for me, can I keep the money while they go to prison?

How about this: I'll provide all the criminals in my area with automatic weapons, but I'll take out all the firing pins so they won't work. Then I'll petition the government for millions of dollars a year to provide a security force against those criminals so we can be safe from their terror. After all, you seem to be okay with your tax dollars doing that.

Wow

FBI are incompetent and inept..

The FBI are like the Keystone cops, and that's insulting the Keystone cops. The FBI couldn't even get a cat out of a 4 walled 1 level house with 1 opening, they're that inept and incompetent. Truth be known!.

FBI lucky they've got corrupt Federal Prosecutors and corrupt Federal Judges (and most fa ass Kapo Jews) on their side, cause if it wasn't for the corruption, the FBI couldn't get any real conviction/indictments.

Problem Reaction Solution (Latin: Ordo ab Chao)

Problem Reaction Solution (Latin: Ordo ab Chao) is a mass mind control system. It is used to make changes to the law that the citizens would not accept otherwise.
1. Create a problem
◦ FBI and others cultivate terrorists and promote the image of rampant terrorism; old families within the global elite create a financial crisis; etc.
2. Manufacture a reaction
◦ Make a big noise on the world stage as the Global Cop displaying awesome military might; make a big show of arresting "dangerous" domestic terrorists. Let the mainstream media only broadcast/print stories you approve of, or even create yourself.
3. Provide a solution
◦ establish war as an ongoing, profiteering enterprise; intimidate other nations to create an atmosphere of fear or buy off their leaders and take control of their government, resources, and economy; manipulate entire domestic economic and legislative agenda in order to funnel wealth and power upward; legislate new laws that allow unprecedented control and the ability to arrest or kill all dissenters; etc...

The latin phrase Ordo ab Chao literally means Order out of Chaos and is the moto of Thirty-third Degree Freemasons.